The weather is still in fickle mood here, and I'm getting tired of keeping up with it. (It think it was on Sunday I was out in a wintry snow shower for a while - wet snow, so it didn't last - while yesterday was dry but with chilly strong winds blowing.)
Today, however, was sunny - even if still a bit windy - and I went for a nice walk into town. Every year towards the end of February we have a nation-wide book sale in Sweden. It's been an annual event all my life, and I think the tradition goes back even further. My parents used to take advantage of it back in my childhood to buy books for me and my brother (and probably some for themselves as well). And most years of my adult life I've probably visited a book shop myself during this week. This year's sale started today, so I made the book shop in the city centre the goal of my walk. Had it been too crowded I might have turned around, as I wasn't looking for anything special, and my bookshelves are over-full since before. (Not to mention all the books waiting on my Kindle!) But the shop was not all that crowded, so I did go in... and once in, of course I didn't manage to get back out empty-handed...
The book on the right is a book of short stories by Tove Jansson - probably best known world-wide for her Moomin books and comic strips (later also turned into popular TV cartoons for children). But she also wrote other novels and short stories and was also a painter. (It's a self-portrait of hers on the book cover.)
The two on the left are history books - both by the same author, a popular Swedish historian. One about World War II; the other about a 14th century nun, St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), canonized as saint in 1391. There were several more in the series on sale, but I managed to restrain myself to "just" buying these two. (For now...)
I also couldn't resist to pick up some really cheap notebooks with nice photo covers, on display just by the cash register.
Tomorrow is laundry day for me, plus also looks like we may expect "stay-in-and-read" kind of weather again. So perhaps I'll get started on one of my purchases between my turns to the laundry room...
10 comments:
Books are very hard to resist. I hope you enjoy yours.
I would find it hard getting out of there without a book or six, they are dangerous places to be.
Good finds!
They look like good finds! I rarely enter a book shop here in Germany (lack of time and lack of wanting to buy any physical books these days), but when we're in Ripon, my sister and I have our favourite places where we never leave empty handed. What keeps me in restraint there is the thought of having to take care of my suitcase during the entire trip - lifting it in and out of trains, carrying it up steps and dragging it along platforms etc. Also, I usually get books for Christmas and as birthday presents, sometimes on request, sometimes as a surprise gift.
When I lived in the UK there were some very good cut-price book stores, and I could never pass one without going in. Usually with the intention of just looking, but of course something always caught my eye and I rarely came away empty handed.
Enjoy your "finds".
Thanks JC. I'm sure I will!
Amy, I knew I was taking a risk by going in... ;-)
I hope so, Ginny! :)
Meike, I don't buy a lot of printed books these days, because my shelves are full already... But at the same time I appreciate that we do still have a physical bookshop in the city centre, so occasionally I do buy a book or other things (postcards, pens...) there. The books I still buy in print are often related to Swedish, or even local, history - the kind I might want to read again, or at least go back to and reread parts of.
Thanks Carol. I'm always tempted by book stores - but for storage reasons, my policy these days has to be "if I buy something new, something old has to go"... Which serves to make me "think twice" about most purchases! ;-) (I have room for the three I bought this time, though, if I just rearrange a bit...)
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